A Twitter user recently captured an unlikely bird perched on a fire escape above Flor de Mayo on Amsterdam Avenue between 83rd and 84th Streets.
As ravens can be confused with crows, we reached out to the Wild Bird Fund, located at 565 Columbus Avenue between 87th and 88th Streets, to clarify the bird’s identity. A staff member told us the bird in the video is a juvenile raven, and that they’ve actually received other recent reports about him. They’re carefully monitoring his activity.
When we asked about the likelihood of spotting a raven in NYC, a representative from the Wild Bird Fund said “They are not common, but [are] becoming more so all the time,” adding that “there are several pairs of ravens nesting throughout the city, including one pair near Riverside Park.”
It’s worth noting that this surprise sighting took place about a block-and-a-half from the site of a former farmhouse which Edgar Allan Poe lived in; it also may have been one of the locations where he wrote The Raven.
(The former site of this farmhouse is the current site of Eagle Court, an apartment building at 215 West 84th Street which will likely soon be converted into expensive condos).
Quoth the Mishkin: “The former site of this farmhouse is the current site of Eagle Court”
This is a view widely believed and touted by the management of Eagle Court. Poe scholars, however, are divided in placing it at either the northwest or the southeast corner of what is now Broadway and W. 84th Street. There’s a 1922 plaque outside the Alameda apartments, 255 W. 84th Street (NW cor.), claiming it as the site; the SE corner is now home to the AMC 84th Street 6. Based on the angle of the sun in old photographs, I tend to favor the SE corner, but it’s a tough call. We may never[more] know for sure.
Anyhow, perhaps the wayward raven is seeking the big bird statue outside Eagle Court….
He was on my terrace wall hoping to eat two new baby mockingbirds in a nest on my terrace! The parents were frantically dive bombing him but to no avail! So I rolled by big outdoor umbrella o er the nest to protect the babies! And soon he left! This was at 100 west 89th street
Another siting: I’m on the 16th floor on 79th off Amsterdam Av. Last week I went into my living room and there was the raven perched on a chair eyeing at me. It was big! I was a little scared. I shooed it away and it flayed around a bit and then took off through the terrace door it had come in. Wingspan looked to be over 2 feet.
Another sighting: Walked into room off the terrace on 16th floor of bldg. on 79th off Amsterdam and was startled to see the raven perched on a chair staring back. I was scared but shooed it off. It flailed then took off out the door it had entered from. Wingspan was over 2 feet.
I saw a huge adult Raven at 8:45 am, June 28, near “West Side Kids” on 84th and Amsterdam. It was chasing and caught a rat- devoured it in a few seconds and then flew up to the store’s sign post- dropped the remainder of the rat, fur and tail, to the ground and stood mouth agape on top of the metal sign post.
I saw a raven last week too, Thursday evening. Mine was on the top of the building on the NE corner of 86/Columbus. I saw it from across the street & would attach photos and videos here if I could.